The concurrent sessions, where attendees break out into one of a couple of sessions several times during the Municipal Association’s Annual Meeting, give city and town leaders options for learning more about many topics relevant to their communities.
The full agenda for the Annual Meeting, taking place July 27 through 29 in Greenville, is available on the Association’s app. Here are the concurrent session options:
Thursday, July 27
2 p.m. sessions
- The Challenge of Affordable Housing – Attendees will learn about tools available through the Federal Home Loan Bank from Joel Brockmann an assistant vice president of FHLBank Atlanta who manages the bank’s affordable housing rental and homeownership products under the Affordable Housing Program General Fund.
- Law Enforcement Hiring Best Practices – Learn best practices for hiring qualified police officers and the requirements for reporting misconduct to the SC Criminal Justice Academy. Employment attorney Kevin Sturm of Sturm & Cont, P.A., will lead the session.
3:15 p.m. sessions
- Engaging the Next Generation of Local Leaders – Hear about the projects that are engaging young people in local government work from Inman Mayor Cornelius Huff, Greenwood Mayor Brandon Smith and Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams.
- 40 Years! Main Street SC Success Stories – This session will highlight downtown development success stories on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Main Street South Carolina, the Municipal Association’s grassroots economic development program for downtowns. It will feature representatives of the Main Street programs in Cheraw, Georgetown, Fountain Inn, and also Florence, which this year became the second community in South Carolina to win the Great American Main Street Award.
Friday, July 28
11:15 a.m. sessions
- Retail Development Checklist: What You Should Be Doing To Attract New Businesses – Participants in this session learn how to understand their city’s retail market better and make the city an attractive option for restaurants and retailers looking for a new place to set up shop. They will hear from Charles Parker, project director for The Retail Coach, the firm which has partnered with the Municipal Association for its retail recruitment training.
- Riley Mayors’ Design Fellowship – Modeled after the National Mayors’ Institute on City Design, the Riley Mayors’ Design Fellowship was relaunched in 2018. This session will highlight award-winning design projects to emerge from the program, with Laurens Mayor Nathan Senn and West Pelzer Mayor Blake Sanders on the panel.
Saturday, July 29
10:15 a.m. sessions
- From the Dome to Your Home Live Podcast – Podcasting has emerged as an attention-grabbing and low-cost way for organizations to connect and communicate with their audiences. The Municipal Association has joined in as well, where its podcasts, available at www.masc.sc (keyword: podcast) include From the Dome to Your Home, a weekly State House report running throughout the legislative session. This session will feature the Municipal Association’s Manager for Municipal Advocacy — and podcast host — Casey Fields, and her regular guest, Director of Advocacy and Communications Scott Slatton as they demonstrate and describe the podcast process by recording an episode.
- Implementing Act 218 – This panel will provide insight on the implementation of Act 218, also known as the Law Enforcement Betterment Bill, which codified many law enforcement standards statewide. The session will highlight challenges experienced by chiefs of police, and discuss how those challenges were addressed.
11:15 a.m. sessions
- Short Takes on Hot Topics – This session will rapidly cover a number of key issues for cities and towns, including business licensing topics with the Municipal Association’s Manager for Local Revenue Services Caitlin Cothran, and other common questions with the Association’s field services managers.
- How Hiring Residents with Disabilities Can Help Solve Your Workforce Shortage – Like all employers, cities and towns struggle to fill vacant positions. An often-overlooked pool of employees can be found in the disabilities community throughout the state. Dr. Angie Slatton, director of special services for District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties, will describe how partnering with state agencies and school districts can close employment gaps and lead to employment for residents with disabilities in your city or town.
Find more Annual Meeting details and agenda information, including preconference sessions, general sessions, exhibits, the Achievement Awards Luncheon and other items online. All Annual Meeting registrations must be complete by July 13.